


The Secrets that Kill Us

by Farris



Category: Fausts Alptraum (Video Game), 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: AU, Diary/Journal, F/M, Homophobia, Horror Elements, Human Experimentation, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Parental Negligence, Poisoning, Spoilers, Suicide, Tragedy, Tragic Love Triangle, Unrealistic Portrayal of Mental Illness, Unrequited Love, mental illness stigma, most of this is implied, you do not have to be familiar with the F.A. game or original play to read this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 13:42:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14333667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Farris/pseuds/Farris
Summary: Born in the early 1900s, Phoenix is just your average 9 year-old boy who happens to get a lot of colds. When he grows up, he falls in love.His normal life shatters when Iris is sent away to a sanitarium to hide her mental illness. Appointed to be her caretaker, he follows her there. However, the isolated manor he frequently visits, as well as the people who are regularly present there, are full of secrets. Himself included.Based off of and largely inspired by CynicalNight's interpretation of the F.A. game, found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/10813962?view_adult=true





	1. Iris

**Author's Note:**

> F.A. plot with Ace Attorney characters, based on CynicalNight's interpretation  
> This entire fic is written in journal entry format-- a narrative element belonging to the F.A. game  
> This fic's "Iris" has elements of Dahlia Hawthorne, especially following the development of her fictitious mental illness  
> I binge wrote this, so please pardon the mistakes I didn't catch

Dear Journal,

I decided to stop going to school. I have no friends. No one will miss me. I'm just going to live in my room all day long all the time. I don't want to see anyone's faces anymore. Your the only friend I got, Journal.

I hate being sick all the time. I really, really, REALLY hate it. I'm never allowed to play with any of the other kids. I have to be extra careful of germs and getting other people infected and I always have to play safe by myself. It sucks. Every time I see Mom she tells me to put my cold mask back on. She says it all the time. Even when I'm already wearing it and she doesn't see! I think she likes it more than she likes me.

I have a weak immune system. I don't know what that is, but it means my body is weak and gets sick easy. Most of the time I get a cold. I try to tell the other kids in class that, but they don't believe me. They all think I'm dying or something because I always have the cold mask on and I don't play with them. They say they don't want my dying germs. Their all big idiots and I don't like them anyway.

There is this one guy in class who's not afraid of me. He is really smart. He reads a bunch of books and wears a bow tie. It is kind of funny-looking. But he is quiet and I don't talk to him much.

Love,

Phoenix

 

 

Dear Journal,

Dad says if I'm too sick to go to school then I should go back to the hospital where I belong. I don't want to go back. I hate the hospital. It smells and there is too many people I don't like there. Like the kid in the bed next to me who always scratches himself.

The doctor guy told me I could grow out of my weak immune system when I growed up but it hasn't happened yet.

I don't want to go to school. I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't like it here neither. I want to go far far far away where no one will bug me about the cold mask anymore. I HATE HATE it. I want to go to Japan with the samurais. It would be really cool if I met the Signal Samurais! Specially the Blue one. He is my favorite.

Love,

Phoenix

 

 

Dear Journal,

A weird neighbor girl came over to bug me. She is really weird. She can't talk right and she says sorry so much it gets annoying. She gets scared at everything. I even jumped out at her and made her cry. That kind of made me feel bad. I didn't think she would cry.

She is weird but she doesn't care if I'm wearing the cold mask or not so I guess she is alright.

Love,

Phoenix

 

 

Dear Journal,

Iris comes over everyday. She doesn't go to school neither. She says she has a private tutor. I wonder why.

Today she told me to take off my cold mask if I didn't like it. I told her she was stupid and she would get infected by the germs. I thought she would cry because I called her stupid, but she said she didn't mind. She is weird.

Love,

Phoenix

 

 

Dear Journal,

It has been a whole month I have not been wearing my cold mask! Mom stopped yelling at me and I don't even have to pretend to wear it anymore. I got really sick one week but I don't care and I got better besides. I'm also going to school again. It is not really a big deal cause me and Iris are best buddies now. Oh and your still my friend too, Journal.

Love,

Phoenix

 


	2. Phoenix

Apr 23, 1932

I'm in love. No, I think I've always been in love and only now just realized it. Oh, what a fool I am! A smitten, blissful, happy fool! I even think I have reason to believe Iris returns my feelings. Can you believe it? An angel like Iris in love with Phoenix Wright!

They say you don't realize how precious something is to you until you don't have it anymore. Going abroad for art school has taught me that. It's probably the most valuable thing I've learned here. Once courses are over for the summer, I'll return to her straightaway and confess. I can hardly wait. I have no idea how I'll be able to focus on classes in the mean time.

Oh, but her father! He's a jeweler-- he's very wealthy, and he's a snob about it too. What can I possibly do to get him to accept me? It seems impossible... God dammit, I'm supposed to be the happiest man on the planet right now. I can't let this get to me! If there's love, there's hope! I won't stop believing!

P. Wright

 

 

Jul 5

Woe, woe, woe is me! They won't let me in to see her! What could have happened within two years to make them decide I'm not good enough company for her anymore? I've finally come all this way back home-- will it all be for naught? God, I can't stand it...

P. Wright

 

 

Jul 6

I was wrong. I'm not the only one she can't see. She's being shut in, and all but close family are forbidden to see her. I've heard rumors she's terribly ill. And I thought things couldn't be any worse.

Iris... Iris... Iris... Iris...

What would I do if something happened to you? How would I be able to live?

P. Wright

 

 

Jul 27

My world has been turned upside-down. I don't know how else to describe it. They finally let me in the Hawthorne household to see Iris, but she wasn't even there. Her father met with me personally and told me everything. What he said... It took a lot of convincing to get me to believe what he was saying. And then I got dizzy in the head and could hardly breathe.

They say Iris has a mental illness. She hallucinates and gets paranoid at the craziest of things. They call them 'delusions'. She apparently has fits sometimes where she becomes inconsolable and no one can approach her until she calms down. Some of the staff and even family members swear they don't recognize her anymore. Can one person really change that much in such a short time?

Mr. Hawthorne sent her away to a sanitarium in the country last week. A sanitarium! When I heard that, I could barely keep myself under control. She's not dying! Is he so concerned about his reputation and his campaign for becoming mayor that he feels he must keep his own daughter hidden from the world?! How can they treat her so coldly?! She's still Iris!!!

I was asked to be her caretaker. Mr. Hawthorne doesn't know my full feelings, but he does know me as her childhood companion and closest associate and is aware that I care deeply for her. He says he trusts me. What a load a crap. He's just shirking his duties onto someone else. And all I can think is poor Iris... I would accuse him of completely abandoning her if it wasn't for the fact that he's paying a buttload of money for some first-rate doctor to rehabilitate her.

At least this gives me the chance to see her again. I'll go to the sanitarium first thing tomorrow. Even in the face of all this bad news, I can hardly contain my excitement!

P. Wright

 

 

July 31

Iris is kept in a separate manor belonging to the doctor himself. I don't like it. He's says it's for her privacy, but he's keeping her grouped together with the crazies. He's giving her special treatment because of her father, his current biggest patron, but Iris isn't some loony! All that's a little off is that she has a straying imagination, a few mood swings, and she can't let go of a few bizarre ideas sometimes. Other than that, she's the Iris I've always known! The Iris I love!

When I come to visit her, she smiles at me. It's such a little thing, but her gorgeous lips can fling my heart to the heavens and leave me feeling light and airy for the rest of the day. I can't look at anything else but her when I'm in the same room. It's funny. I thought I couldn't be any more in love with her, but I was utterly, completely wrong. I love Iris Hawthorne!!!!!!!

I want to confess to her so badly, but I don't think this is a good time for her. It'll be fine. Now that I'm near her again, I can be patient.

The doctor's name is Dr. Meraktis. Apparently, he conducts some personal research in the basement. He's really secretive about it and keeps the basement door locked, but it doesn't really surprise me from what I've seen of his personality. He's that kind of guy. Whatever he's doing, he sometimes has to travel to far-off places to get his research materials. It makes a guy curious, but it's medical stuff and has nothing to do with Iris' condition.

P. Wright

 

 

Aug 14

Iris told me the tale of Puss in Boots today. Usually, that's not something worth mentioning, but the odd thing was she told it differently than how I was brought up hearing it. It's not just her being creative or misremembering-- she 100% believes she is telling it how she remembers it. She does that sometimes. I guess these are the so-called delusions she has. It's like she is replacing a bit of reality with a bizarre, mixed-up fairy tale version of life. It's a strange power really. She's free to rewrite the truth how ever she wants it. Unluckily, her fairy tales aren't usually happy or pleasant. I hate how miserable they can make her. I've given up trying to persuade her to believe differently, but I try to distract her the best I can.

In her version of Puss in Boots, rather than hunting game as gifts for the Marquis, the cat eats each one of his master's opponents and rivals. He even eats the ogre at the castle without turning it into a mouse first. Don't ask me how that's possible. In the end, the cat gets the castle for his master in order to win the princess' hand in marriage; although in Iris' version, the princess falls in love with the cat instead. I think I like that ending. Lil' Puss in Boots did all the hard work, after all.

P. Wright

 

 

Oct 11

Iris no longer smiles at me. Since I'm her caretaker, I think she believes I was sent by her father to spy on her. For what purpose, I can't imagine. She doesn't say much to me anymore. It must be one of her 'paranoias'. Despite knowing better, I try and try to get her to change her mind... but it won't work. Once she makes you her enemy, there's no going back.

Oh my heart...

P. Wright

 

 

Nov 20

I've come to the heaviest of realizations today. Iris directs her smile towards someone else.

His name is Dr. Edgeworth. He's the prodigy medical graduate Mr. Hawthorne hired to assist Dr. Meraktis at the sanitarium. I forget how many months he's been here; I should have been paying more attention. To be honest, he seems familiar somehow, but why should that matter now? He and Iris always seem to be together. Whenever I come to visit, he's always there in the room. I was paying so much attention to Iris... How could I not possibly tell earlier?

Iris... Iris... Iris... Iris...

I still have yet to see any of the other patients. It's strange, but Iris mostly keeps to her room too. It must be a huge strain on her to be living in a place like this and not in a home with loved ones. Even if it's impossible for her to return my love... even then... I vow to visit her as often as I can. I will not abandon her. I cannot. It's against my power to do so. She is my everything.

P. Wright

 

 

Dec 24

I gathered my resolve for the holiday. It really took everything in me to do it. But if this is what Iris wants, then I couldn't back down.

This evening, I pulled Dr. Edgeworth aside in the hallway. It was actually kind of funny at first because I think I made him really nervous. I don't know what he thought I was going to do to him, but he was nothing like his usual self.

But that's beside the point. I told him. I told him in plain English: “Confess to Iris tomorrow. She loves you. You must do everything in your power to make her happy.” You should have seen the look on his face, though I wasn't in any mood to look either. As soon as I said those three sentences to him, I hightailed it out of there. Sheesh, it was so pathetic...

P. Wright

 

 

Feb 15

Iris told me another one of her 'fairy tales' today. It made me so happy. It's been so long...

It went something like this:

There once was a lonely carpenter who crafted a life-sized puppet of a young boy. The carpenter loved this puppet. It was his favorite craft, and he refused to sell it. After a few months, a fairy came to fall in love with the puppet as well. She revealed herself to the carpenter and promised to turn the puppet into a real boy if he would allow her to be the boy's mother. The carpenter agreed, and the puppet was brought to life, owning blood and flesh. He was given the name Pinocchio on that day. The three of them became a happy family and were together from that time onward...

However, it wasn't a happily ever after for everyone. There was another life-sized puppet like the first-- practically an identical twin. The carpenter had valued him too, and so he hadn't been sold. But the fairy and carpenter only needed one boy to be a family, so this other puppet was left behind and forgotten.

One day, a fox demon came to this puppet. He whispered sympathetic words in its ear: “It's not fair. It's not fair is it? What's so different about him? What's so wrong about you? Don't you deserve to be happy too? ...Wouldn't it be better if he wasn't even there? If he wasn't there, they will love you instead.” The demon then gave the puppet the power to move and supplied it with one of the carpenter's axes. The puppet left the workshop for the first time and killed its brother.

However, to the puppet's dismay, it was still a puppet. A doll made out of strings and wood. The carpenter and fairy couldn't love it this way. And it was right. When the carpenter discovered his fallen son and then found the puppet able to move with blood stains on it, he hacked it to pieces with the very same ax. The demon grabbed its chance. It caught the tainted soul escaping the puppet's body and took it to its den to be eaten. The End.

I guess that's one hell of a surprising twist.

P. Wright

 

 

Feb 2, 1933

I've become suspicious of Dr. Meraktis. I was forced to lodge overnight at the manor when yesterday's snow storm intensified in the evening. I stayed in one of the isolated vacant wards, but I wasn't able to sleep one wink. I swear more than one person was moaning and screaming. At first I thought they belonged to patients on the floor below (the ones that always look so pale and haggard), but the noises sounded too muffled for that. I think they're from the basement. No, I know they're from the basement.

What's going on? Is Dr. Meraktis testing his 'research' on patients? Are there other people down there?

How could Iris bear to live in a horror-house like this for so long? Was it because she had no choice?

I have to investigate. For her sake, I have to. I won't let this quack doctor do anything to her he shouldn't.

P. Wright

 

 

Feb 6

I persuaded Edgeworth to join my cause. Or more like, I joined his cause. It turns out the reason Mr. Hawthorne hired him was to spy on Dr. Meraktis and make sure he was using the allotted funds appropriately. It makes you wonder if Mr. Hawthorne really cares about Iris getting better, or if he just doesn't want his money to be wasted.

Edgeworth has been suspicious of Dr. Meraktis' basement research ever since he's been assigned here. The thing is, Dr. Meraktis likely knows the true reason why Edgeworth was sent here. He doesn't trust Edgeworth with anything more than basic medical care and paperwork, and he doesn't seem to go into the basement any of the days Edgeworth is here. If that doesn't sound shifty, I don't know what does. Edgeworth can't do anything until he obtains solid proof of illegal activity. He's only a recent medical graduate after all. That's why I'm helping him. If we can dig up some kind of dirt and send it to Mr. Hawthorne, Dr. Meraktis will be out of practice in a heartbeat.

I'm fired up, but I'm also a little wary about what we will uncover.

P. Wright

 

 

Apr 19

We did it. We got the key to the basement. Dr. Meraktis is going to be gone in the morning to collect more of his “material,” so that's our chance. We'll have to investigate with as much care and speed as possible. I'm actually pretty nervous...

P. Wright

 

 

 

wrong wrong wrong wr _ **ILLEGIBLESTAINCRIMSONILLEGIBLE**_ ck sick sick sick sick sick sick sic _ **BLOODBLOODBLOODSTAINBLOODILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLE**_ ick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick s _ **CRIMSONCRIMSONILLEGIBLEBLOODSTAINILLEGIBLESMEARREDDARKBLOODILLEGIBLILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLECRIMSONCRIMSONSTA**_ That Devil! That Devi! _ **SSSSSMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRFIIIIINGEEEERRRRSSSSMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRSSSSSS**_

Dr. Meraktis is gone. Iris is safe.

I might not be though.

P. _ **MEAR**_

 

 

 

[PAGE BLANK]

 


	3. The Twins

_May 16, 1933_

_At first I was planning to burn this since it is incriminating evidence, but I decided to hold on to it for the time being as something to keep me sane through all the lies I find myself living now. Wright has inpoured so much of himself into this journal-- his deepest thoughts and feelings. I doubt I could replicate the same, but I can try._

_I finally pieced together why Wright went on a rampage. He was looking through the registry of “donors”-- of this I have no doubt. I found on the last line of that registry the name “Iris Hawthorne”. I can't pretend to understand how he felt at that time, though I believe I have an inkling thanks to my sin. Who would have predicted that the investigation would result in such a tragic catastrophe? We finally have our proof, but we must sweep it all under the rug now. Even if Dr. Meraktis is gone, I feel it is important that this... this torture chamber masqueraded as medical research should come to light. But that's an impossibility now._

_Homunculus research. Can you believe it in this day and age? I suspect those in the Underground were the ones who requested Dr. Meraktis to carry out this research. It could be the Rivales Family or the Kitaki Family-- But I got to stop thinking like this. What does it matter now?_

_Iris saw the Incident happen. Dr. Meraktis probably fled to her side thinking it'd give him refuge and protection. That was likely his fatal mistake. She handled it surprisingly well-- almost eerily so. She even helped with the burial._

_We decided to report Dr. Meraktis as “missing”. His Underground clients most likely would suspect he fled from them. No one else will have a clue. Mr. Hawthorne acquired the sanitarium to be repurposed and sold, but I begged him to be bequeathed the manor as a wedding gift for marrying Iris. It's the only way to make sure no one comes to uncover all that has transpired here. It is against my principles in every way, but ever since I submitted to courting Iris, I find I can't go back. I'll do anything to make sure the Incident never comes to light. Mr. Hawthorne agreed to the gift, and the mistreated patients have been relocated to different institutions. It seems he is determined to keep Iris at arm's length, so long as it doesn't soil his reputation._

_And as for Wright... He has suffered the most from the Incident. He has become rather aloof and fails to take care of his person properly. He has a constant stubble now; his hair's greasy; and he has become quite comfortable with wearing nightwear all day. He is a permanent resident of the manor now as well. There are days he stays isolated in his room and does nothing but drink juice and stare at the wall. It pains me considerably to see him like this, but the cruelty of the situation is that it seems beyond my power to do anything for him._

_And to think at the beginning of all this my only desire was for Wright to recognize me. I was an uncompromising lie-hater back then too. Oh, how naive I was!_

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Jul 25_

_I feel as though I am a grown man playing house. The world revolves around Iris' delusions in this secluded mansion. I only have my work to console me. I try to travel as much as possible, but I am too paranoid to stay gone for long._

_Wright still remains rather aloof as he continues his studies at a piece-meal pace. Aside from being tormented by the very history of this manor, he most likely feels out of place staying here with a married couple; but stay we must, bound as we are to the shared Secret that keeps us here. I wonder, does he do it for Iris or for himself?_

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Aug 3_

_I learned today, in the worst way imaginable, that Wright has been keeping in contact with Iris' older sister, Officer Valerie Hawthorne. After the Incident, he stopped writing to her, and that made her suspicious. She arrived this morning and demanded to be let in. She accused Wright and I of holding Iris here against her will, taking advantage of her condition. I was scared out of my wits. What if she discovered the body? What if she looked in the basement?_

_After blatantly accusing us, Officer Hawthorne went upstairs to find Iris. From their yelling, we could tell they were arguing. Ironically, Officer Hawthorne was trying to persuade to Iris that my feelings for her were insincere. She felt Iris needed to be rescued and was bent on taking her home with her. Iris didn't seem to want to listen. She insisted on staying with me no matter what._

_I don't know exactly what transpired, but Officer Hawthorne shouldn't have aggravated Iris like that. We heard the scream, and that's when we knew something had gone terribly wrong. Officer Hawthorne was found in the garden right underneath the second floor balcony. Dead._

_When will the tragedy end?_

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Sep 15_

_I am slowly unraveling and going mad. I must be. I feel as though the fringes of my mind are fraying. I can't keep the lies straight anymore. And Iris... there are sides to her illness no man should ever see. The more comfortable she becomes around me and our play house, the more she exposes her hidden self. I have come to realize Dr. Meraktis was aggravating her condition for his own self-preservation. He fueled her delusions in order to discredit her reliability as a witness for what she has no doubt seen and heard in this manor. The delusions and paranoias have only spiraled from there, though her fits are the worst of everything. I can't be in the same room anymore when she has them._

_I want to leave so badly... I could catch a plane to Europe and forget everything. Start over from scratch._

_But I can't. I must ensure the Incident stays secret. I can't abandon Wright as he is. I can't._

_Is this my punishment for my sin?_

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Oct 28_

_This is the last straw. Iris has droned on and on about wanting a child for two months. She is like a banshee who can't be quieted. But I can't comply. On this one matter, I refuse to budge. Not with someone I don't love and trust. And most definitely not with_ _ her _ _._

_Tomorrow I will go to the orphanage. Ironically, it is one of the orphanages Dr. Meraktis traveled to to collect his “research materials”. I hate to bring an innocent into this twisted, crazed house, but with any luck, nurturing a child could help restart Iris' recovery. It would serve as an excellent distraction, in any case._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Nov 1_

_The orphanage seems to “specialize” in twins and triplets. I suppose that explains why Dr. Meraktis targeted it for his research._

_The twins' names are Apollo and Trucy, age seven. Their personalities are quite starkly different. Apollo is reserved and obedient, and Trucy is rambunctious and full of energy. Iris has already taken a liking to Apollo. In fact, she seems to be under the impression that Apollo is “our” child, just as she's always wanted. I don't know how she can come to believe that when Apollo is so big and she's only known him a matter of days, but such are her delusions._

_I was planning to adopt both the twins, but Iris doesn't seem to want to acknowledge Trucy's existence. If she can make herself believe she birthed a seven year-old boy, why can't she make herself believe she birthed seven year-old twins? I suppose there's not much else I can do but return Trucy to the orphanage tomorrow._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Nov 2_

_Apollo refuses to be parted from his sister. He is normally so well-behaved, but as soon as he heard the news, he bawled and screamed for hours. That boy possesses a surprisingly powerful voice..._

_I know it will be cruel to break the twins apart, but I can't imagine Trucy will receive a happy life here. Iris won't even stand to have her in the same room as her and Apollo._

_What to do?_

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Nov 17_

_Trucy won't stop writing on the walls with crayons or “disappearing” household objects. I suspect she's doing it to draw attention to herself. It's her plight for being ignored for so long. I wish I could give her the love and care she deserves, but I find myself inadequate, particularly as I am constantly drawn aside by the play-house charade._

_I should have never have gone to the orphanage._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Dec 10_

_All is not to be despaired after all. Trucy and Wright have discovered each other. They are inseparable now, and Trucy has stopped drawing on the walls. Wright is starting to take better care of himself as well. I don't quite understand the ways in which they spend their time, but they seem to be quite content with each other's company._

_I haven't seen Wright talk so much or smile so genuinely in a long, long time. I'm almost jealous..._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Dec 25_

_A deceptively normal Christmas has passed by without incident._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Jan 13, 1934_

_Iris had a meltdown today. Trucy and Apollo were fighting in front of her, and the situation spiraled out of control from there. I should have realized something like this would happen. We can't continue locked in our fake relations forever, feigning happiness-- especially if it pits the twins against each other._

_Iris has isolated herself in her room. The twins seem to have reconciled with each other, but likely only because she scared them._

_I think it would be best if I talk this through with Wright. Something must be done-- something must be changed, or we'll drive ourselves to ruin._

_It scares me beyond belief, but I will tell him the truth tonight. I will confess my sin._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

Jan 14, 1934

I asked Edgeworth if I could borrow this back one more time. I'm surprised he kept it and is using it. I was just planning on reading through it, but I guess I'm making another entry now as well. I hope he doesn't mind. It kind of helps you sort your thoughts and feelings out-- a journal.

Where to even begin? Of course when Edgeworth told me that, I was shocked. And that's putting it mildly. But I think, more than anything, he's right that things can't continue this way. We can't continue lying to each other and pretending to be okay while hiding our true feelings. It's not just us I'm worried about; it's Trucy and Apollo too. There are a lot of things to regret nowadays, but what's past is past. I've wasted too much time regretting and not doing anything already.

I realize now that Iris will never get better like this. I was supposed to break her from her delusions, not help her escape reality. Why did it take me so long to remember such a simple thing?

I will tell Iris the full truth.

P. Wright

 

 

 

_Oh God, Oh God, he's dead!_

_I shouldn't have told. I shouldn't have confessed._

_What have I done?_ **TEARSTAIN**

**ILLEGIBLETE** _he one. Who else but her could have done it? Oh God._

**WATERDROPSSTAINILLEGIBLESMEARERASETEARS**

**DROP DROP DROP**

**ILLEGIBLEILLEGIBLE**

**ILLEGIBLE**

 

 

_Jan 16_

_I am furious, enraged, mad with ire. Never have I hated someone with such a fiery ardor. Iris looked at me yesterday and with a smile said, “Now it's just the three of us. Aren't you glad?”_ _With those two china-like, breakable hands of hers, she choked the life out of him with poison, and she says that with a smile on her face?!!! He loved her!! He loved her all his life!! Everything he did was for her!!!!_

_If Apollo hadn't been in the room at the time... I'm not certain what I would have done. But it's too late for that now. I'm taking the twins and leaving._

_May the monster once known as Iris Hawthorne rot in her self-deluded grave-- her beloved “home”._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 


	4. Miles

_Feb 28, 1934_

_I am working more than ever before. All I seem to do is work. When I eat or bathe, I think of work. When I sleep, I'm sure I must dream of work. I'm tired. I'm extremely tired nowadays, with deep, dark bags under my eyes. But I don't dare let up. Not for a second._

_I feel bad for Apollo and Trucy. They deserve better than this. But I can't help it. I doubt I have what it takes to be a father-- a real father. And when I look at him, I can't help but see her, and when I look at her, I can't help but see him. I can hardly bear to be around either of them for long; they just bring up the painful memories all over again. Most of the time I leave them to a nanny. _

_This is my punishment, isn't it? My punishment for sinning. I must bear it until the end._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Jun 6_

_I feel like I'm living in a fog. I can't tell what's real or dream anymore-- what's past or present. All I have is my work to ground me. I've become isolated and withdrawn. But still, no matter how much I work and try to escape from it all, I can't forget what's happened. It's as though a piece of me has been sealed up in that house along with Iris._

_I wonder if this is anything like what she must have felt like? Or did her illness prevent her from at all realizing?_

_Again, it is useless to ask such questions._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Jul 21_

_Apollo and Trucy no longer fight. Or so I heard._

_I'm not sure how much longer I can take this._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

_Sep 15_

_Iris used an arsenic rat poison. I took some with me when I left the manor. I've been slipping micro-amounts into my tea everyday for the past week._

_Just like every mistake I've made since the start of all this, there's no going back._

_M.G. Edgeworth_

 

 

 

_Doctor Miles Edgeworth chooses death._

 

 

 

Sep 18, 1934

What has my foolish brother done? Perishing in such a manner and disgracing the Von Karma name. What's more is he's left me everything: his assets, his share of the inheritance, the children, the house, and this filthy journal. It's an utter mess. I haven't heard a word from him in more than two years, and it's come to this.

What in all heaven and earth happened in that manor?

I'll have to investigate it at once, using the clues my brother and this Phoenix Wright kindly left for me in this ragged scrapbook... I have a feeling I'm not going to favor much of what I see.

Oh little brother, what could have driven you to do such a thing? How much suffering have you endured between now and when we last met? Will I really never see you again without hearing any of the truth from your own mouth?

May your soul find peace, Miles Edgeworth.

F.A. von Karma

 


End file.
